Good to see Buddha have the time to do some writing for us. Good stuff. -Michael B. -

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It’s easy to smile and celebrate after the great game the Steelers played on Sunday.  With the victory in hand, we are once more hopeful about the present and the future.  It seems the Steelers are back where they belong.  They are not cracking any top 5 lists – leave that too the Patriots and the Packers and the hot team of the moment (I am looking at you Detroit), but they are in the hunt.

 During the first drive of the game, however, none of this was immediately apparent.  Steelers fans were still reeling from the frustration of watching the defense give up nearly 200 yards rushing against the Texans – many of them on a serious butt-whuppin of an opening drive that reminded many of what a text book Steelers drive used to be about – except it wasn’t the guys in Black and Gold  giving the demonstration.  The team did not look good, and the nation... well the nation was not happy.

When the Titans took the first play for scrimmage for 21 yards on the very same stretch play Arians Foster converted into a 42 yard TD last week, the nation cringed and expected the worst.   A couple of nice Titans plays and some Pittsburgh mistakes later the Titans found themselves in the red zone where a James Farrior penalty turned an uncatchable 3rd and long pass into a 1st and goal on the 7. 

If you were optimistic at that point, consider yourself a better fan than me.  I was frustrated, and I think by the looks of it, so were the Steelers. Even Big Ben was caught shaking his head and frowning on the sideline.  It seemed that Tomlin’s gamble to kick the ball away in the first half and trust in his defense (something coach Cohwer used to do all the time) would not going to pay off and Pittsburgh would surrender yet another long TD drive to open a game.

Not so fast.  The next 3 plays changed the tone of the game. They were not perfect, but a defense that’s been just a step slow picked up their level of play and changed the feel of the game.

Play 1:

First and Goal on the 7. 

Hasselback drops back and gets excellent protection. Nate Washington makes a nice move to break free of Polamalu in the end zone.  Washington finds the soft spot between Troy and Ike Taylor. and Hasselback spots him immediately.  Hasselback’s throw is high but Washington makes a nice grab.  Only as he’s coming down do Taylor and Polamalu initiate contact.

Watching the replay it looks a bit strange. Usually in these situations you see the DBs lay a lick on the guy hoping the the ball comes out - but not here.   As Washington is coming down he simply stands there an punches at the ball from below.   It does not look pretty but it does the trick. 

.The ball squirts out of Washington’s hands and falls harmlessly to the ground. – Second and goal

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If you live outside of Pittsburgh or travel, you've been there. Its late in the fourth quarter. You are perched over your laptop, shoulders hunched,teeth gritted, heart pounding, head aching. Its crunch time and Big Ben drops back to pass, when all of sudden disaster strikes. No its not a sack or an interception. Your fuzzy little interent feed, which you've been watching with rapt attention for the past three hours has just gone out. Frantic you flip over to BTSC and post a pleading query. "Feed anyone?!?". You try to ignore the long list of OMG!! OMFG! HOlY Effin woowzers and so on, and just focus on the one individual who may send you a feed that has a shot of getting you back up before the post-game show. None comes.

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Bumped. Awesome to see one of BTSC's finest writers and data purveyors. - Michael B. -

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As the Steelers run at free agency closes before it seems to have begun this year, some newer fans are scratching their head. How is it possible that, apart from a half hearted attempt to land Plaxico Burress, the Steelers did nothing in free agency apart from re-signing a few of their players and acquiring a back up 31 year old tight-end? 

A big part of the answer of course has to do with the Steelers salary cap woes.  Prior to some restructuring of contracts they found themselves $10 million over the salary cap.  A big reason for that is that the Steelers are veteran heavy team, who have paid out big salaries to players who grew up in their system.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the Steelers number one ranked defense. To get a sense of just how veteran heavy this defense is I've compiled a list of all of the starters, sorted by age.

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I am posting this as a follow up to Neal Coolong's great piece on Kevin Colbert.  In that piece Neal convincingly argues that Kevin Colbert is one of the most talented GMs in the league.  I couldn't agree more. I actually started writing a post about his work following up my post about the Front Office's handling of Ben Roethisberger and Santonio Holmes during the off season.  Neal just beat me to the punch. I figured I would morph into the following piece which is mainly just an excuse for me to share a very large chart with all of you.  Enjoy!  

Hindsight is 20-20, but making decisions in the moments takes a ton of foresight.  No where is this clearer than in the NFL draft.  Teams have full time departments dedicated to the process of the NFL draft.  These men spend their life becoming familiar with the relative pros and cons of college football players.  But on draft day everyone is an expert.  There is nothing that cracks me up more in sports journalism than reading those grade the draft write-ups. I believe we should institute a new rule. Everyone who wants to "grade"  the draft must commit to re-grading his own work5 years later.  Take a look at this example of journalistic integrity as an example of what I mean.   But I digress.  What I really wanted to write about was the Steelers draft history.

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Let’s say it out loud. We are pretty blessed to be Steeler fans.   Those of us who are members of the Steelers Diaspora, know what a dysfunctional football franchise looks like (I am looking at you Washington). There are dozens of them, and we get to watch year in and year out as they load up on great free agent talent, hire the latest and greatest coaches and let the reality TV freak show roll. 

 

Even great franchises have their share of problems, and the Steelers are no strangers to trouble (See, Roethlisberger, Ben). But I firmly believe that leadership is what separates good organizations from great organizations (and from bad ones for that matter). The Steelers have great leadership and the results show.

Getting to the Super Bowl requires many stars to align. But good teams make their own luck.  One of the ways they do that is by having a culture that makes success possible.  The Steelers have built just such culture and it starts at the top.

The Rooney’s:

In 2003 Art Rooney II replaced his father Dan as President of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The media was informed of this transition the same way it had learned that Dan Rooney had replaced his father, the legendary Art Rooney Sr. as team President; the news was published in the team media guide. There was no press release, no announcements, no speeches. Dan Rooney simply handed over day to day management of football operations while staying on as an active member of the leadership team, much as his father had done before him.

That meant that in the summer of 2009, when Dan Rooney became the United States Ambassador to Ireland, there were many fans who didn’t realize that Art II was already president of the team. Many more worried that Dan’s departure would have a negative impact Steelers culture.  After all, the son is not the father, and Art II had very large shoes to fill.  Still coming off a second Super Bowl victory in 5 years, hopes were high. 

When the defending champs lost 5 in a row in the middle of the 2009 season,  however, the critics came out in full force.  Art II was no Dan, Tomlin was no Wisenhunt let alone Cohwer and Bruce Arians was everyone’s favorite whipping boy, and Kevin Colbert was being criticized for missing on mid-round draft picks and throwing up duds in 2008 and 2009.  

Needless to say there were some challenges facing the Steelers organization. These took a turn of the worse when the summer saw the Steelers two top offensive players embroiled in scandals and their best offensive lineman go down with a fluke season ending injury.  Huge free agent signings by AFC north competitors made some nervous that the Steelers were in for serious trouble.  Six months later the Steelers are on their way to their third Super Bowl in six years, while Terell Owens is managing to make headlines for his talk show. 

Let’s take a moment to tip our hat to the Front Office that helped set the tone for that trip and review some of the key decisions that paved the way for a great season.

Key Decision 1: Keeping Ben and Dropping Tone:

Back in the 2007, Dan Rooney launched a media firestorm after trying to explain his decision to keep star Line Backer James Harrison while releasing back-up wide-receiver Cedrick Wislon.  Both men had been arrested for domestic violence charges.  Rooney defended Harrison, because the incident occurred when Harrison was trying to take his son to be baptized.  He was roundly criticized by domestic abuse organizations who felt he was execuising Harrison’s behavior. 

I agree with the criticism.  What Rooney said sent the wrong message. Harrison broke down a door, slapped his ex and broke her cell phone.  There is no excuse for that behavior even if it had good motivations at it’s root(the desire to get his son baptized) the attempt to explain it in those terms was counter-productive.

But I also agree with the overall tact that the Rooney’s took in this case.  Football is a brutal game played by tough young men, brimming with testosterone. These guys are not angels. They are warriors and they are far from perfect. If you are going to run a great football organization, you have to know how to work with them. You have to know when to work with a player, and when to quit on them. You have to know which ones are worth fighting for. 

The Steelers are known as an organization that goes out of it’s way to recruit players who have character.  That does not always mean that they take guys who have no issues. It does mean that they pay attention to the potential of these men to turn into the type of football players it takes to win championships and the type of men that as a rule are not an embarressment to the club. 

It’s hard to say why the Steelers fought so long and hard for Harrison. Harrison when he came up as a troubled young guy, with anger management issues (he once shot at his High School coach with a BB gun, and was rumoured to get so frustrated during practice in his early years that he would throw up his hands and walk off the field when he didn’t understand a play).  Yet clearly there was something there that inspired coaches and management to stay with the guy.  

My sense is, that despite the issues, they saw something in this guy that made them believe he could turn into the type of guy you want on your team. They were right.  Cedrick Wilson never made another NFL squad after being cut by the Steelers.  Harrison went on to win the DPOY in 2008, the year the Steelers took a gamble and fought to keep him. He just made his fourth consecutive pro-bowl.  He has not been in trouble with the law since. 

Football wise, the Steelers made a good decision. My sense is that they did in part because they saw the potential for Harrison to develop as a football player, a team player, and as a human being.

Fast forward to the summer of 2010.  On March 5th 2010, it was revealed that the Ben Roethlisberger was being investigated for sexual assault.  In late March it was revealed that Santonio Holmes was being sued by a woman who claimed that he assaulted her in an Orlando night club.  Following the incident Holmes caused a bit more of a stir when he told a fan to “go kill himself” via twitter.  Shortly thereafter, Holmes showed why pro atheletes and twitter are a toxic combination when he posted about his intention to wake up and violate the league substance abuse policy to his Twitter account.  In early April it was revealed that Holmes would be benched for four games for a second violation of the league’s substance policy.

Still, when the Steelers traded Holmes to the Jets for a fifth round pick there was much hair pulling and rending of clothes in Steelernation.  Holmes was a Super Bowl MVP, and a truly dangerous receiver about to enter his prime.  Furthermore it was not all that clear what the Steelers had behind him, with Hines Ward slowing down and Mike Wallace still an unknown quantity, and Limas Sweed looking unlikely to develop it seemed like a dangerous move. 

What’s more the Steelers traded Holmes to the Jets – a team that had made the AFC championship and looked to be only one or two pieces short of going to the big dance.  Many imagined a scenario where the two teams would meet in the playoffs and Holmes would be the difference.  There others who argued that we got rid of the wrong player. Holmes, after all had really only smoked pot, while Roethlisberger could potentially be seen as a Serial rapist. 

While Steelernation second guessed the Jets celebrated:  "Wow we got Holmes this is crazy," All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis posted on his Twitter account. "We makin big moves this off-season. Putting the pieces together to get closer to that superbowl ring."

When the two teams met in the AFC championship, the Holmes story line was hard to ignore. The Holmes trade had clearly helped the Jets make it back to the AFC title game.  Yet, in a way it also opened the doors for the Steelers to make it back. With the 5th round pick the Steelers got from the jets they picked up two players.  They traded the pick to Arizona for Bryant McFadden and a sixth round draft pick. That pick netted them an unheralded shifty little receiver from Central Michigan, by the name of Antonio Brown.

Brown and fellow rookie third round draft pick Emmanuel Sanders were both finishing great first years and had played fantastic games in the Steelers victory over the Baltimore Ravens.  Indeed, Brown’s heads up 58 yard grab in that game will go down as one of the great receptions in Steelers history. It proved to be the game changing play. Holmes departure had also opened the door for Mike Wallace to become the Steelers number one receiver.  Wallace had used his 4.3 speed to bolt through that door compiling numbers equal to or better than any Holmes put up in 4 seasons in Pittsburgh. 

Holmes proved his talent in the game with a huge 45 yard TD reception in the 3rd quarter, but otherwise only had one catch. But Brown, Sanders, Wallace and Ben proved that the Steelers FO made the right choice.  For the second week in a row the rookie from Central Michigan made the game winning play – a huge 3rd and 6 catch, on a sweet little drag route, that was the nail in the Jets coffin. And for the second week in a row, he and the rest of the Steelers unheralded receiving corps, put on their aw shucks smiles and talked about “being happy to be there, happy to be part of the team.”  Holmes, in contrast, deflected questions about free agency and called out his offensive coordinator in the press.  

Brown, Sanders, Wallace are all under contract. I get the sense that they could put on quite a show next year as they gain some confidence and experience playing together.  

Meanwhile, Ben seems to have rededicated himself to being a team player and not distraction off the field.   He is entering rarified air with his third Super-Bowl appearance. A victory in the big game likely assures his status as one of the best QBs of his generation, despite his oddball status in an era when QBs are judged by their fantasy football stats not by their ability to win football games. 

This article has already gotten long, so I won’t spill more ink on laying out all the things I thought that the team did well dealing with the Ben situation. I will just add that there were some in Steeler Nation who compalined that Ben’s suspension was too harsh, considering that he was never charged with a crime.  Others felt that the Steelers let Ben off easy and that he should have been traded away or released.  I think we actually got the best of both worlds and that Rooney’s likely helped press for a suspension.  While only time will who Ben Roethlisberger has become as a man, he is a better, more focused football player than he was last year and a better teammate.  The cockiness is still there, but there is new genuine humility and appreciation for his teammates. As a Steeler fan it’s nice to see, partly because one get’s the sense that it helps the team win. 

It’s hard to imagine that Art Rooney saw it all playing out so well back in the summer. Sitting in his office reading the newspapers he must have felt the same sense of frustration and disappointment that we did as fans.  Hats off to Mr. Rooney and coach Tomlin for navigating the crisis with smarts, keeping the reputation of the organization intact and finding a way to field a winning team. 

The Steelers and the Bengals are two teams heading in opposite directions this season. When the Bengals finished 10-6 last year and went to the playoffs Bengals fans everywhere slithered out from under their rocks and barstools to declare (once again) that the balance of powers in the NFL had changed.

When the offseason saw the Steelers lose a pro-bowl wide-receiver and the Bengals pick one up analysts were quick to agree. More seasoned followers of the AFC North, were skeptical. After all there was a reason that Steelers legen Myron Cope had dubbed the team from Cincy, the Bungles. Somehow, someway, the Bengals just find ways to lose.

On this rainy Sunday on Hines field, we saw the Bungles in all of their glory. Cincy came out and dominated the first quarter on both sides of the ball. They scored early, looked solid on offense, had some success running and passing. On defense, by hook and by crook, they harassed, hassled, hit and hurt Ben Roethlisberger. More on this later, but suffice it to say that the Bengals, aided by a stunningly myopic set of officials took so many free shots at Ben that one had to wonder if the league had gone Ravens on us and issued a bounty on the quarter backs head.

Having said that, all is well that ends well. Ben is Ben - and there is no question that he is the toughest QB in the league, not to mention one of it's best. Carson is Carson and there is no question that despite having talent, and an arm, he has consistently found ways to lose big games. Today the two QBs were a big part of the difference, but so were their receivers, the DB's and LB's on both sides of the ball.

If I had to find a story line to this game it would be this: When they needed too, the Steelers players made plays. The Bungles had their chances, but failed to convert.

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In the mid-90's classic movie Life, there is an absolutely great scene (definitely watch it if you can) where new inmates Claude Banks (Martin Lawrence) and Rayford Gibson,  (Eddie Murphy) find themselves being asked by the mountainous  prison bully Goldmouth (Shaun Rodgers) (Michael Telifarro) for the cornbread off their plates.  

Claude takes one look at the big man and is happy to oblige.  Rayford will have none of it. Oblivious to the obvious odds, he stares down Goldmouth and tells him, "You can't have my cornbread."

The scene cuts to the prison courtyard, where Rayford, is having his but whupped by Goldmouth. Despite the physical punishment, he refuses to quit, or for that matter to shut his mouth.  The fight ends with Rayford, in rather bad shape, being carried out of the prison courtyard by Goldmouth. As the big man hoists him on his back, he whispers to his friend Claude - "he didn't get my cornbread."  

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Earlier this week, I posted the Hustle Play of the Week from the Raiders game. In the post I gave props to Deebo for a hell of an effort to race down field and lay an absolutely wicked block on Raider's running back Michael Bush.  If you haven't seen the play, re-watch it. It's a thing of beauty, except for BMac's inexplicable lack of effort, which I believed cost Troy a pick-six. 

Today I want to highlight the Hustle of franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger.  Last week TO called Ben Roethlisberger "soft" after a strange sucker punch by Raiders' DL Richard Seymour sent him tumbling to the turf (this just in, the league office apparently fined James Harrison $25,000 dollars for that hit).  Now wether you think Ben dove on that play, that he was just stunned, or you are T.O.tally insane and think that he is soft, it's not likely that anyone, not even T.O. will accuse Ben of being soft after watching this play.  

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Wrote this during the middle of last week, but didn't have time to edit it during the holiday weekend. So here it is, better late then never ( :

There is nothing more inspiring to me in professional sports, than watching a guy give his absolute all. There is nothing less inspiring to me than watching a guy, especially a talented guy give a half-hearted effort (yes I am talking about you Randy Moss).  

Usually, you don't stay in the NFL very long if you take plays off.  The season only has 16 games. Each game really only has about 11 minutes of actual action. Since players only play one side of the ball, it means they any one player is probably seeing a total of 5 minutes or so of action per game.  That means that over a full season a guy plays maybe a little over an hour's worth of actual football.  Over a long successful career that may add up to not much more than 10 total hours. 

The focus, concentration and effort a guy gives during those brief moments between the snap and the whistle define who they are as a football player.  Boxers fight 3 minute rounds.  Football players fight 5-10 second rounds.  Each round is a war of wills and wits.  To play the game  you need to be smart, focused and incredibly conditioned. 

Still there are some moments that simply define the game for me. They aren't always the big moments in a game, the 50 yard TD catch, the diving interception. To me some of the greatest moments are watching a guy really give his all, away from the ball, somewhere in the trenches, or fighting to make an extra block. These are the moments that separate good teams from great teams, the talented players from the warriors.  They are the moments that turn the tide of a game.  These are the hustle moments.

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Bumped. I have plenty more myself to say about the Steelers' exciting overtime win over the Bills, but here's a good place to start. Many thanks to 'Buddha for the post-game quick react. - Michael Bean -

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Some interesting numbers that tell the tale of the game:

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Can we just take a moment and say it out loud. 

Mike Wallace is a star.

Feels good doesn't it?

Ever since draft day 2009, when Steelers fans had a warm, tingly, Al Davis feeling about the 40 numbers of their 3rd round draft pick.  There was a sense that young Burnell Michael Wallace could be something special. Then again everyone is a hall of famer on draft day - just look at what we all wrote about Frank "the Tank" Summers or Limas "Butter" Sweed.

At that time, however, Wallace was stepping into an offense whose two starting receivers had both won superbowl MVPs.  The only real question for the youngster, was if he could run down field fast enough and make just enough catches to replace the speedy Nate Washington, or at least scare Limas Sweed (remember him?) into catching an occassional pass.   We in Steeler nation felt confident that he could, although not confident enough that we didn't cheer that addition of veteran Shaun McDonald. 

One year and a very promising rookie campaign later Wallace made most Steeler fans forget Nate Washington, Limas Sweed and Shawn McDonald about as fast as they forgot Cedrick Wilson.  Wallace had a great rookie campaign.

However with Santonio Holmes departing this past off-season in a cloud of acrimony new questions arose regarding Wallace's future.  Now Steeler fans needed to know if Wallace could transition from a speedster 3rd receiver, mainly used to stretch the field and create mismatches for Ward and Holmes down below, to being a legitimate number two, or perhaps even a number one receiver.    

Ten games into the 2010 campaign it seems fair to say that Wallace is the teams number one receiver. With Ward having a bit of a slow start, Wallace leads the team in the yards TD's. What's more he is doing it commanding all of the double teams and safety help that used to be directed at Holmes.  

The next couple weeks will dictate wether this guy becomes a legitimate pro-bowl contender in his only second year in the league.  Below I look at some of the numbers and break down Wallace's meteoric rise from small school sleeper to one of the most electrifying receivers in pro-football.  

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Remember for a moment back to when you were a child. Yes more challenging to some of us than to others (yes, I am talking to you HighSchoolSteeler).

Did you ever have a day, where your otherwise strict parents bought you ice-cream and despite your overwhelming joy, you had this strange thought in the back of your little child brain that went something like this: 

"Wow ice-cream is great! I love ice-cream! But why did I just get ice-cream right before lunch? Mom and dad never let me have ice-cream lunch!  I wonder if this has anything to do with mom yelling at dad and then crying for a half hour?.  Hmmm. Ohhh my ice cream is melting! It's so yummy! And I don't have to eat my stupid peas and Broccli! Yay Ice-Cream!!!!!!!"

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Don't know if this warrants a fan post, but I had to share this moment.  

I started physical therapy today for a bum hip. I am currently living in Boston. I walk in to meet my therapist and the guy sits down and says his name is Tom.  I am not sure what prompted me to ask, but I did.

"Hey Tom, what's your last name?" 

Tom gets this huge grin on his face and says "Brady, yup, Tom Brady."  

We both laugh - Tom is an older guy - say mid fifties and he has a clear Boston accent. So I decide to push the issue.  

"You know Tom" I say trying to muster my best Pittsburgh accent "We're going to have a problem" 

"Why's that?" he says. 

"Well I am a huge Steeler fan" I answer.  

He bursts out laughing. "Dude so am I"

I shake my head. "Wait a second you mean to tell me that Tom Brady is a Steelers fan."

Yup he says, "nearly got me killed here on multiple occasions"  He pauses and ads, "that's not the worst of it though, ask me what baseball team I root for" 

So there you have it.  Tom Brady of Boston Mass is a Steeler fan and a Yankee fan.  Go figure. 

I told him I would post his story.  

20-10 let's do this thing! 

Don't get any bigger than this. Let's go Steelers!

OK, I admit it, I am in no position to write a solid fanpost right now, but I do want to vent a bit.

After all I just gave up my Sunday afternoon - which I really, really needed for work, to watch this team play on a crappy little internet stream.

I had originally planned on not watching. I considered this a fool proof plan. If we won the game, then no biggie - it's the Raiders at home in a must win situation, really no chance they come out flat and blow it.  On the other hand, if by some strange break of events they did manage to find a way to lose, then I knew I wanted no part of watching it.  

 Anyway, good plan - poor execution.  Sort of like Dick Lebeau's defense in the fourth quarter. Like a fool I watched. Now it's 5:00 and I haven't done a shred of work, and I am feeling mad. Real mad.

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Let's take a trip back in time for a moment.  

The day is, April 26th 2008.  

You, like me, are glued to the TV waiting for the Steelers to draft in the first round.  At the time most mock drafts and much of the fan base had us taking a tackle in the first round. A few had us taking Jonathan Stewart, a big bruising back out of Oregon, to compliment Fast Willie Parker.  Others among the fanbase were hoping we would take a big bruiser on the defensive side of the ball.  

After an early run on Defensive linemen, we watched a run on O-linemen.  Ryan Clady, Brandon Alpert, Chris Williams, Gosder Cherilus, Sam Baker and Jeff Oteh all come of the board between pick 12 and pick 21.

In total 7 O-Linemen and 6 D-Line men were taken by the time that we picked 21st pick. What's more Jonathan Stewart, was gone - taken by Carolina with the 13th pick. 

Amidst all of this a young guy by the name of Rashard Mendenhall was quietly sliding down the board.  Mendehnall had been predicted as a 10-20 pick in most mocks.  A lot of people had him going to the Cardinals. Many others to the Bears or Panthers. 

When the Cowboys came on the clock with the 22nd pick it seemed likely that they would grab Mendenhall. Instead they took a speedster by the name of Felix Jones.  

Like many fans, I was both excited and a bit stumped when the Steelers grabbed Mendenhall with the 23rd pick.  

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Poll

10 years from now Rashard Mendenhall will be considered:

10%

The best back of his class and a great player

24 votes

53%

One of the top three backs in his class and very good player

122 votes

31%

One of the top five backs in his class and a good player

72 votes

3%

An average player who never lived up to his pre-draft hype

8 votes

0%

A total bust

1 votes

227 votes | Poll has closed

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As we sit back and celebrate the Steelers 28-10 pounding of the Broncos, it's easy to forget the very tough fist half the Broncos played against us.  Up until intermission, Denver dominated time of possession (19:16 to 10:44), yards (183 to 54), first downs (9 to 3) and third down efficency (56% vs. 40%) - pretty much every meaningful stat except the score.

In fact, the Broncos looked solid on both sides of the ball and I for one was worried that our defense might be gassed having played nearly 20 minutes in the thin air by half time.   

It's hard to imagine now, but the game might have turned out very differently if not for the Steelers third defensive TD in the 2 games, this one served up by the oft-maligned Tyrone Carter. 

More about the play in a second, but I want to remind people that Carter at 5-8, 190  age 33 has often been the target of criticism and frustration from many in the nation, especially when he has to come in and replace our FHOF safety Troy Polamalu.

Carter will likely never live down his open field miss in the the Jaguars-Steelers play-off game in 2007, but for a long time that play has overshadowed the contributions of a smart and solid veteran back-up, not to mention good guy. For a bit more about Carter, check out this excellent profile the post-gazette ran on him a couple of weeks back.  

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There is no question that the Tryone Carter Pick 6 was one of the biggest plays of the game. At that point the Broncos were up 3-0 with 13:01 left in the half.  

Denver had been feeding the Steelers a steady stream of dink and dunk, that appeared to be sorely bending though not yet breaking the LeBeau defense.  If not for a great play by William Gay in the red-zone on the Broncos first drive, they could have been out to a big early lead.  

Kyle Orton would go on to complete 16 of 21 in the first half for a total of 163 yards. And the Steelers offense never really got it going in the first half.  

Orton would only complete 7 of 17 in the second half and the Broncos would manage only 3 more first downs, while the Steelers, who had only managed 3 first downs in the first half would add 18 more first downs in the second half. Not too shabby.  

 

Now let's look at the play. 

Here is the full video of the play from NFL films

http://www.nfl.com/videos/pittsburgh-steelers/09000d5d81414d6d/Tyrone-Carter-Pick-6

Now let's break it down.  

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Let's start with the formations. The Broncos start this one with three receivers out to the left, the QB in the shotgun and one running back in the backfield.  The Steelers seem to be in a classic LeBeau set.  There are 5 guys on the line and two line backers in the box, plus one corner (William Gay) sitting outside on the empty side of the field.  Notcie that the lone Steelers defender on the top of the screen - Ike Taylor is playing a full ten yards off his man.  No one else is visible.  That means that Troy and Tyrone are up deep upfield

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The three Broncos receivers release, with Taylor, Troy and Carter still out of sight. As soon as the ball is snapped you begin to understand why this defense is so difficult to play against.  

Until they go (and even after) you have no idea which of the 8 guys in and around the box are coming at the QB. In this formation, 5 guys go at the Broncos six leaving both middle linebackers, the two corners and the two safeties in coverage, but you just don't know who is coming till the ball is snapped.  

As a side note, I think this is exactly the kind of formation that offenses including the Broncos have exploited for a lot of underneath stuff. This is the kind of stuff that come play-off time will turn in to a fascinating chess match between QBs like Peyton and Brady and LeBeau. 

 

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Notice where we are one second into the play. It's a bit difficult to know what is going on up-field, but at this point Orton does not yet have a receiver open.  The Steelers have brought 5 guys against 6 Broncos.  Buckhalter releases up field. You can see big Ziggy, leaving a trail of stardust as he runs hard at his guy. Kiesel is being double teamed (repsect!). Woodley is being well blocked and James Harrison is being (held around the neck) blocked by Ryan Clady.  

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 Another split second later, you will notice that Silverback is  completely around his man with a line to the QB and if not for an outstanding (stranglehold around the neck) block by Clady, Kyle Orton is eating dirt and smelling gorilla breath about a third of a second from now.   Woodley is well blocked.  

This is where it get's interesting, Chris Hoke, that would be your Nose Tackle peals off his block and goes to cover the running back.  That, my friends is a LeBeau defense.  Crazy like fox. 

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Another split second later and we end up with this look.

Notice that now, both Hood and Kiesel are double teamed.  Clady is still (strangling) blocking Harrison, Woodley is trying a spin move to bet back on the inside.  It looks like the protection aided by Clady's excellent lynching blocking of Harrison is going to give Orton all the time he needs to find an open man against the zone.  

Notice that Hoke is hauling his 300 pounds around the field with a speedy little back.  

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Another split second later and Woodley is falling to the ground, essentially out of the play. It's hard to see here but the Broncos right tackle pulled a classic Rick Mahorn move on him. As Woodley backed in to him, the guy just fell down backwards, causing Woodley who was pushing his weight in to him, to go down to the ground as well. Dangerous, but effective.  

Meanwhile Chris Hoke is running up field and getting a good bump on Buckhalter just inside 5 yards.  Orton has nothing down field - he pumps and does not throw.  Harrison is still being (affectionately hugged around the neck) blocked by Clady.

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Here is where the Steelers get lucky.

Notice that Buckhalter has run in to the ref, essentially keeping him from clearing Hoke's coverage a split second earlier.  Orton is still looking down field, but he is now staring down the very large Hood of a 2009 model Ziggy Steamroller, coming his way. 

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Orton releases to his check down, just as Ziggy plows into his midsection.  

Buckhalter, who has lost a step because hitting the ref, is out of position.  The ball is in the air here. You can barely see it, but it's hovering over the left hashmark at the 39 yard line.   Carter meanwhile is moving his old butt toward the play. 

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This just tells you how fast everything is in the NFL. Notice where the ball is (42 yard line over the left hashmark), where Carter is (51 yard line) and where Buckhalter is (47 yard line).  

It's hard to tell from the still that this won't be a nice gain over the middle instead of a pick six.  

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Carter catches the ball at about the 48 .  Since Buckhalter is underneath at around the 45-46 at the time, it tells me that Tryone did not jump the route, but rather that Buckhalter was never able to make it to his spot because of a combination of great coverage by Hoke, great pressure by Ziggy and a spot of nice luck in the form of a screen by the official.

Any of this things doesn't happen and this could go for another one of those short gains up the middle that the Broncos have built their season on.    

The only other thing I will add about the play is the Kiesel, who has spent the whole play occupying two Broncos linemen, essentially blocks both of them on the return. Once again he is showing Steeler nation what a man he is. He would go on to record two outstanding sacks and generally make Kyle Orton's life miserable. 

Drawing Conclusions one the Wall

When all is said and done, this play is an interesting microcosm of what the Steelers do on defense much of the time.  

You have the bend but don't break philosophy - which gives so many of us heart burn, but is the trademark of this incarnation of the Steelers D.   Remember how far-off the play our DBs were?  There was not one guy withing 10 yards of a receiver.  Most were about 20 yards away. You can't do that unless you have supreme confidence in your guys abilities to consistently make big open-field tackles. 

You have the crazy LeBeau defensive fronts.  Most plays you just have no idea which of the 11 men on the defensive side of the ball are going to attack the QB and which are going to drop back into coverage. Which is to say, when your 300 pound nose tackle is running 8 yards down field with a running back, that opens up some interesting options up-front. .  

Want more proof? Look again at the final picture. It's hard to tell here, but I think that's either Fox or Farrior standing at the 40 yard line in coverage on either Gaffeny or Royal.

Frankly thinking about those guys trying to man up against a receiver that fast should give you a heart attack.  And it would until you remember that somewhere back there, waiting and roaming like a dark, malevolent and hirsute shadow is one of the greatest whirling dervishes of a football player ever to play the safety position, a guy who is head and shoulders above all but a select few - Troy Polamalu.    

via www.mediaincanada.com

7 benefits in one bottle? You could find worse descriptions of Troy's play. 

If he remains healthy and dandruff free, I like our chances of doing good things.  

Mazal Tov to Tyrone for two picks in one game. And thank God for Troy.  

One more Sunday, one more set of minor heart-attacks, and just as importantly one more victory.

Like it or not, that's our Pittsburgh Steelers.  What is interesting, is that in contrast to last year  when the Steelers made an art of coming back, this team has played almost the entire season with a lead.

In fact when the Vikings scored a TD in the second quarter to take a 4 point lead, it was the largest lead any team has held on us this season.  In our two losses Chicago and Cincinnati each held a 3 point lead for a total of 29 seconds combined.  The Vikings second quarter lead lasted less than 5 minutes, and despite a series of furious and frightening rallies, the Vikings never tied or lead again. 

As we move into the off week there will no doubt be plenty of debate about this team and it's chances to repeat. There is plenty of cause for optimism but also some obvious issues that need to be addressed. The most serious of these is our inability to put teams away. Before I look at the game, I just want to take a quick peak back over our shoulder.   

Seven games into the season and our Pittsburgh Steelers are 5-2.  For those of you wondering that's exactly where we were after 7 last year.  The big difference is that last year game 7 was a painful loss to the Giants. This week we come off an important win against a previously unbeaten team and head into a much needed off week. 

More after the jump. 

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Another day, another heart attack.  

The good news is, that like the cardiac kids of last year the Steelers found a way to win.

The stat hogs (Rivers, Brady and Manning) had great days. Ben didn't shine statistically, but we won one. It would be nice to have that and 400 yards in the air, but if you have to choose between the two it's a no brainer.

So on to the late games.  

The important one for us of course is Cinci at Chicago - the two teams who beat us this year.  

Obviously we are all Bears fans on this one. 

Poll

Will the Bears beat the Bengals putting the Steelers in first place in the AFC Norde

28%

Yes

52 votes

70%

No

127 votes

1%

Tie (good enough for us!)

2 votes

181 votes | Poll has closed

First half lead. 

Wallace playing great

Defense looking solid

Let's make this happen and finish like it's 2008

 

I think

that's 

enough 

letters? 

Right? 

Let me start with a quote.  This comes from our fearless leader and solid football prognosticator Blitz.  

It was written this summer as the Steelers began to contemplate their title defense in earnest. Blitz was writing a post projecting Santonio Holmes numbers for 2009. Before I give you the quote, here is Blitz's projections for Holmes' 2009 numbers. 

72 Catches  1115 Yards15.48 Yards per catch

If you actually extrapolate Holmes numbers based on his current totals you would wind up with: 

74 Catches 1168 Yards 15.6 Yards per catch

Now that we have established that Blitz sold his soul to the devil for the ability to make freakishly accurate stat predictions - I mean - knows a fair amount about football, let's look at what he had to say about the prospect of replacing Nate Washington. 

I think Limas Sweed and/or Mike Wallace can fill the void left by Nate Washington just fine, but it's worth remembering just how much Washington forced defenses to remain honest with his ability to stretch the field vertically. Furthermore, Washington was more than just a decoy if you consider just how much Big Ben liked to look his way. Decoys only work if you semi-occasionally throw them the ball. Will Ben feel comfortable enough with Wallace or forget about Sweed's struggles last year and look their way enough to get Holmes and Hines Ward open at other times?

Let me translate here. Blitz thinks we won't miss Nate, but he isn't quite sure. Sweed's struggles have correctly made Blitz nervous and Wallace at this point is about as proven a commodity as Frank the tank Summers or Darius Heyward Bey.  

Let me point out that Blitz was on the calm side of the continuum regarding his worry.   In his article titled "Steelers 2009: The Top Five Issues They Face at Camp"  Professional grouch reporter Ed Bouchette listed the receiver situation as number 1.  

Here is what he had to say about replacing Nate.  After praising Holmes and Ward (whose age worried many, myself included - woops) he goes on to lay out why we signed Shuan McDonald. 

 

The ambiguous nature of what stands behind them is what makes this the most pressing issue as the team enters training camp. Their returning teammates behind them have seven career regular-season receptions between them -- Limas Sweed, pictured at right, has six and Dallas Baker has one. That is why the Steelers added veteran Shaun McDonald, who languished as a free agent until they signed him May 1, and drafted Mike Wallace in the third round.

McDonald, listed as 5-feet-10 and 183, had a nice season with Detroit in 2007 when he led the Lions with 79 receptions, 943 yards and 6 touchdowns. He will compete with Sweed for the No. 3 job opened when Nate Washington signed as a free agent with Tennessee. Sweed, their second-round 2008 draft choice, is the key. He is 6-4 and can add a new dimension to their offense. Wallace also figures to be in the mix somewhere.

Notice where Wallace is?  Yup somewhere in the mix.  

via blogbeckett.files.wordpress.com

Poll

Will Mike Wallace's Production during the final 10 games will:

43%

Increase (50 plus catches/ 800 plus yards)

167 votes

52%

Stay about the same (40-50 Catches/ 700-800 yards)

203 votes

4%

Decrease (Under 40 Catches/ under 700 yards)

18 votes

388 votes | Poll has closed

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A couple months after the Super Bowl, I was brain storming with Blitz about possible features for this site. During the conversation we hit upon the idea of a google map for Steeler Nation. The main purpose of the map would be to help people find Steeler Bars - that is places to watch the game on Sunday. 

In any case, it's testament to my laziness that it has taken me nearly 8 months to get this post up.  However with some big deadlines looming on the school and work front, I figured this would be the perfect time to work on it.  

I like to think of procrastination as a double edged sword.  A sword that usually sits in the closet and isn't pulled out till the very last minute.

View Steeler Bars and Steeler Nation in a larger map">

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It's no secret that Steelers nation loves to hear Mike Tomlin speak. There might be no greater testament to this fact than the brilliant Tomlinism Tournament hosted by Maryrose at BTSC this summer.  

Several months have passed since we voted for a winner in the Tomlinism Super Bowl. For those of you who have forgotten, that winner was 

"Every day I walk by five Lombardi Trophies, not five rushing titles."

As Tomlin himself likes to point out, it's a new season with new challenges.  And what you have to like about Tomlin, apart from the fact that the line now has to be changed to "Every day I walk by six Lombardi Trophies", is that he keeps coming up with new pearls of coaching wisdom.  

Personally, I've come to think of Mike Tomlin as not just the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but as the coach of Steeler Nation. Each week he delivers a healthy dose of  wisdom nuggets, in tasty snack sized packets. He's like a self-help guru for the football obsessed. 

I thought it would be good to have an extra post up here to capture some of the new gold that's come our way since late June.  

via l.yimg.com

Let's be clear. As the picture clearly indicates, Mike Tomlin does not suffer fools.

That's not to say he's overly tough with his players. He is no Parcells or Coughlin. He doesn't even yell like the chin.  What he does is deal with issues head on.  

Since arriving in Pittsburgh, he has deftly handled one personnel issue after another.  Remember Alan Faneca's semi-open rebellion?  Handled with class. What about Casey Hampton's exploding waist line?  Check. Willie Parker's rushing title fantasies?  The 5 Lombardi trophies quote squashed that contraversy before it could take off. This year we saw how Tomlin deal with Rashard Mendenhall's failure to study the play book. No doghouses, just action and the thoughtful words to back it up.   

As Homer J. points out below, Tomlin is always in command of his language. He doesn't waste words or time.  Here are some of my favorite gems from this year:  

On the nature of emotion

Q: Were you worried when Troy came up limping?

A: I’ve learned to become a flat-liner. There’s a lot out there that’ll make your heart jump if you allow it.

We don't ride the emotional roller-coaster. 

 

On dealing with obstacles, frustration and public urination: 

Q: Is there a degree of frustration on your part in having to deal with this matter (Jeff reed hitting cops)?

A: I wouldn’t necessarily call it frustration. I acknowledge what comes with this job. I’d like to be 6-0 but I’m not. I don’t always get what I want in this business. It’s not something that’s pleasant. Anything that takes away from game preparation and game readiness is a distraction. Anything that sheds a negative light on this organization or its players is a distraction. It’s not something that’s pleasant, but I’m paid and paid well to deal with it, and I’ll do that.

On being ready,(particularly Ziggy Hood's ability to step in for Aaron Smith.) 

He’s got a lot of talent. He’s not out of the oven yet, if you will. 

On respecting the opposition

Q: Cleveland’s QB was 2-for-17 last week. I assume you’ll prepare for him the same way you did Jay Cutler who was coming off a bad game.

A: You know, you guys chuckled when I made that reference in regards to Cutler. There’s not enough respect for what professionals are capable of in today’s NFL, if you ask my opinion...As a matter of fact, I know just the opposite:  Usually guys of his caliber do bounce back and respond with favorable performances, so we anticipate him being his best.

On work ethic and improvement

Q: How much better can Rashard get?

A: Boy, he’d better continue to do that...As long as he respects the preparation process and continues to come in here with a humble and willing-to-work demeanor like he has, I see no reason why he doesn’t continue to improve.

On "discussions" with the press and the public

Q: What about closing out games?

A: I’m always going to see room for improvement. I don’t get preoccupied with some of the discussions that we have, to be quite honest with you. There’s always going to be discussions, there are always going to be areas that need improvement. I haven’t answered a running game question here in a couple of weeks. I haven’t answered a protection question here in the last few weeks. The issue now is finishing out games in the fourth quarter. So be it. I just answer questions. As long as we find ways to win, I don’t have any problem with what we talk about.

On playing Legursky at Fullback and the nature of ability. 

Availability is a good ability.

On challenges in football (and life)

Q: Are you worried about your vulnerable secondary late in the game against a great quarterback?

A: No, quite frankly I don’t. This is what you live for. Even when it’s bad in this business, it’s great. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do. I think members of our secondary feel the same way. I know they’ll be chomping at the bit for the challenges of facing a guy the caliber of Philip Rivers. When you do what we do for a living, that’s what you love. 

On excuses (when asked if losing a pro-bowl safety contributed to the defenses fourth quarter collapses)

 I’m not going to dispute that, but at the same time I’m not going to use that as an excuse.

On the doghouse

Q: Is Rashard Mendenhall still in the doghouse? What steps does he need to make to see the field?

A: He is not in the doghouse. I don’t have a doghouse. A doghouse is something you have when you let things stew and you don’t take action. I intend to take action and I’m done with it. 

On the nature of time: 

 Man, next Monday is so far away right now I haven’t even pondered that thought at this time. The world ends on Sunday, as far as I’m concerned.

On winning

I am always surprised when we don’t win.

I am sure there are many more out there. On a related note, I think that we should start taking the real gems and putting them up on Wikiquote.  This may not be a project I can devote time to ( :. 

 

 

 

Really solid insight from Steelerbuddha as usual.  Many have already seen this but it is good reading for a Monday Morning. (DYM)

The first step on the road to recovery is admitting that you have a problem.  

The second step is to come to believe that a power greater than yourself, Isaac Redman understanding your problem can help restore you to sanity.

In this post I will try analyze the problems facing the Steelers running game. I will use a video posted on Postgameheros, that shows the four running plays featuring Frank Summers.  

I don't have simple answers.  I don't think any exist. The only positive thing that I can say, is that while the problems were numerous, they strike me as fixable. 

On to the video.

I recommend watching each of the plays a couple times, while using the pause button, to get a sense of what is going on.

I was going to copy stills of the plays and post them in my analysis, but even my procrastination has limits.  

Continue reading this post »

Apologies for a new fanpost. But after taking time to write this up, I didn't want to lose the ability to edit it.  

So I will add to the wealth of good analysis by analyzing a couple of stats from last night.   

8 - The number of times Ben got knocked down. In a different post I complimented the O-line for great pass protection, especially in the 4th quarter. I stand by that post.  For most of the 4th quarter Ben had all day in the pocket. Our guys contained a good Titans pass rush when it counted.  Having said that 8 hits in a game is a lot.  I put most of those on Ben.  The guy can stand and deliver, the guy can run and deliver.  But I have a hard time imagining that anyone , not even Ben can get hit that much and still finish a 16 game season.  Prove me wrong Ben, but please dump 1-2 of those off if you can. 

+11 - Steelers advantage in starting field position . Steelers started on average at the 31 yard line. The Titans started on average at their 20.  This number is composed of a couple of other interesting numbers including: 

4 - Punts inside the 20 for Sepulvada - Of his 7 punts last night 4 landed inside the 20. None went into the endzone. None were shanked. Robopunter 2.0. 

29.0 - Kick off AVG for Stephan Logan. -  Robopunter plus Joystick = great special teams.    10 - Total tackles by Keryan Fox - anyone miss Lawerence Timmons last night? Also credit Collinsworth with coining "Fox and Friends" for the Steelers D.  Begin punning. 

3 - Catches by Rookie Mike Wallace. Remember that old story about receivers needing at least two years to fit into the Steelers new system?  I have new story for you. A guy who runs a 4.3 40 will get open. If he keeps catching everything thrown his way, the only real question will be can Ben throw fast and far enough to get him the ball.   

1- Catch by former Steeler Nate Washington - I know, I know - Washington was hurt, but the guy literally couldn't sleep for a week anticipating his mighty homecoming. The upshot was that the rookie we signed to replace him looked faster and more reliable.  Good luck Nate, we loved you here, we wish you the best, but it doesn't seem like we are going to miss you.  

6 - Combined Tackles and Assists for Ryan Mundy and Arnold Harrison on Special Teams - Remember how losing Anthony Madison and Donovan Woods was going to kill us on special teams.  Don't believe it. 

8 - Number of times that Heath Miller was targeted and number of catches Miller had - Ben feels about Heath the way a small child feels about his Blanky. For good reason.  

1 - Yards the Steelers gained in the first Quarter on 4 drives - You can lay that on a ton of different things, including jitters and good Titans D.  I am not an Arians hater, but I say part of the blame is his. When you have 6 months to prep for an opening quarter your script should produce more than 1 yard. It doesn't help his case that the offense started humming when Ben took the wheel.  I won't say it was all negative from BA, but over-all I give him a C minus at very best. 

1.6 - Average Yards per Carry -  It's been analyzed by many on the board, so I won't say too much more, but the run game was awful. None of our backs averaged more than 1.6 yards a carry.  The longest run was 8 by Willie Parker. In the post game Tomlin said "We are not going to abandon anything that we set out to do any given week."  Perhaps, but I wonder if we will keep trying to do the same things next week. 

363 Yards- The most yards Ben has ever thrown in a win - only twice in his storied career has Ben thrown for more yards. Both were losses.  His highest total came in 2006 against Denver when he threw for 433 yards and the Steelers lost 31-20. His second highest total 386, came in a 38-31 loss to Cincinnati in 2005. His fourth highest total?  That would be 329 yards in our loss to Tennessee last year. 

A lot of people have argued that following this game we will see Tomlin abandon the run and throw 40-50 times a game. I don't see it. 

9-131-1 - Holmes Stat line for the SB and for this game.  - It's been pointed out by many, but I feel like it's worth repeating. Leave aside the freaky symmetry for a moment.  You have to love that after missing a bunch of time Holmes came on smoother and faster than Snoops chronic. Hmmm possible connection? 

3 - The number of game winning drives Ben led last night - Show of hands, how many people remember what it was like to watch O'Donnell, Slash, Tommy-gun, Bubby Brister, Mark Malone or Cliff Stoudt walk on to the field for a fourth quarter drive. 

For those of you who are a bit younger I will try to describe how it felt for me. In a word Nausea. When those guys took the ball with the game on the line, I had a mix of about 10% hope and 90% a dead certain feeling that we were about to lose in some horrible way. Those averages seemed fairly well founded. In contrast, I love watching Ben under pressure. It's like watching Jordan in his prime. He didn't always win. But you want to see what happens when the ball is in his hands.  

3 times last night we put the ball the game Ben's hands. 
Trailing by 3 with 11:00 minutes left Ben led a 12 play 56 yard drive that chewed up 8:06 on the clock.  He was 7-7 on the drive. The drive only stalled because 2 straight runs failed to pick up a meager two yards. You could well argue that if Ben had been given the ball that we would have been up by 4. 

The second drive started on the Steelers 42 with 1:50 seconds left. Ben was 4-4.for 54 yards. A beautiful 30 yard strike down the middle to Hines should have sealed the game but luck was not with us.  Instead the game went to overtime.  

In overtime Ben lead a 10 play 63 yard drive - Ben was 5-7 on the drive.  
If you add all those stats up Ben's game winning drive should be listed as 16-18 for 173 yards.  

1-0 - Steelers record  - Let's be honest. It was a tough game to watch. You wanted to see our guys to come out and stomp on the Titans the way they stomped on us and the terrible towel last year. You wanted LenDale White crushed in the backfield. You wanted to see our O-line establish the run and pound the ball down their throats till they acknowledged that we were the better team.  

You didn't want to see our O-Line get physically dominated at the line of scrimmage. You didn't want to see Ben go down 8 times. You didn't want to see stupid penalties and mental breakdowns nearly cost the game.  You most certainly didn't want to see our All-world, super-stud, Tazmanian Devil of safety go out with a stupid freak knee injury. Especially when he was making an early case to steal the DPLOY from our rabid-freak-monster of a linebacker.  
But you know what, that's football.  As Coach T. said after the game.  "Our guys travel light. They don't tote baggage."

 You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the 2009 Steelers. They are not a dominant team. They are not pretty. They have major issues. They also just beat one a great team in a gutsy over-time fist-fight.  They are 1-0. 

So listen to Coach T. He is a wise man. "Travel light. Don't tote the baggage." "The 11 guys on the field at any moment are who we are." Most importantly "don't ride the emotional roller-coaster." 

I know some will disagree. Personally if we won by 40 points every game, I wouldn't enjoy it as much.  Leave that for the Patriots.  

During the game last night two different friends (Giants fan and Niners fan) each texted me one word "boring." 
I'll take this kind of boring every week. 

About a month ago a bunch of us on BTSC dubbed Penn State rookie center A.Q. Shipley  "T-Rex" for his big torso and miniscule appendages.

Turns out we missed the boat on this one.  Shipley may be our T-Rex, but the Steelers already had a T-Rex on the squad.  He also happens to be a former Penn State star. And what's more he uses those tiny arms out to catch.  Turns out he also dances.

From todays Post-Gazette

 

TD for T-Rex

Late in practice, the field-goal unit pulled a fake in which Batch tossed a lovely go route to defensive tackleScott Paxson

Even before the ball nestled in Paxson's short arms, teammates starting chanting his nickname -- T-Rex, for his trunk length and arm brevity -- and begging him to do a touchdown shuffle.

So he did the T-Rex Dance.

"They said I should learn a dance, so I did ... with short arms," said Paxson, who has served mostly on the practice squad parts of the past three seasons since leaving Penn State. "I'll do anything they want me to do to keep me here.

 

Check out these three stubby armed specimens! 

 

Read more:http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09218/988987-66.stm#ixzz0NQWSwcL0  

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